Where is TitleTown USA?

Here are the 20 finalists and dates they are featured on sportscenter.

July 4 Green Bay, Wis.
July 5 Lawrence, Kan.
July 6 Pittsburgh
July 7 Knoxville, Tenn.
July 8 Chapel Hill, N.C.
July 9 Los Angeles
July 10 Palo Alto, Calif.
July 11 Louisville, Ky.
July 12 Chicago
July 13 Boston
July 14 Gainesville, Fla.
July 15 New York
July 16 Valdosta, Ga.
July 17 Detroit
July 18 San Francisco
July 19 Williamsport, Pa.
July 20 Ann Arbor, Mich.
July 21 Columbus, Ohio
July 22 Parkersburg, W.V.
July 23 Massillon, Ohio

Lets see if the winner is Boston, Green Bay or some other place.

Merrill

Actually I remember that as well. It was only a few years back or less. He threw out the first ball at a Sox game and got a huge standing ovation. Unfortunately the fans in new england didn’t treat him or his family that well and as I recall he moved to Idaho.

Merrill

10 reasons to hate the Red Sox
By Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer

Published Monday, June 30, 2008 7:37 PM

——————————————————————————–

The fans

Red Sox Nation? They weren’t even known as “Red Sox Nation” until they started winning championships, which in case New Englanders forget (and it seems they have) was only a few years ago. Before 2004, Red Sox fans were like Cubs fans: lovable losers. You felt sorry for them when Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner and Aaron Boone happened. Then they won a World Series and then another and now they, including all the bandwagon jumpers, parade around like they invented the game. They were more fun — and a whole lot classier — when they were cursed.

Bill Buckner

Yeah, Red Sox fans are all peachy with Bill Buckner, the supposed goat of the 1986 World Series, these days. But from 1986 until the Red Sox won in 2004? They treated Buckner like dirt, running him out of town and making him live in shame all because the Red Sox didn’t have the jam to hold on to a 3-0 lead in Game 7 two nights after Buckner had the audacity to let a grounder skip between his legs.

Manny being Manny

If any other player pulled some of the stunts Manny Ramirez has, he would be considered a troublemaker. But everyone just smiles, shrugs and says, “That’s Manny being Manny,” and that makes it all okay? Try that at work tomorrow. Goof off and when the boss says something, just say, “Hey, that’s Joe being Joe,” and see what happens. Okay, honestly? I used to love Manny, and you can’t deny he is one of the best hitters in the history of the game. But he lost my support when he reportedly shoved the team’s traveling secretary over the weekend for not getting him enough tickets. That’s not Manny being Manny. That’s Manny being a jerk.

It’s a Boston thing

The Patriots, despite their Super Bowl loss to the Giants, still have had football’s best team over the past decade and probably will win the whole thing next season. The Celtics pull a rabbit out of their hats (actually two — Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) and go from one of the worst teams in the NBA to a record 17th NBA title. The Red Sox have won two World Series in four years and are the favorites again this year. That’s just not fair. No city should have that much fun.

They’re jerks

Think of some of the legendary names in Red Sox history: Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice. Know what two things they have in common? They were all great players. And they were all crotchety, cranky and ornery cusses.

Curt Schilling

I know he’s not around, and, sincerely, we hate to see anyone’s career end on an injury. But …

Shut up. Please. Please shut up. You talk too much. Remember a few years ago when he popped off on Lou Piniella, claiming Piniella no longer knows how the game is played? (This year’s NL Central standings suggest otherwise.) That’s just one of like a million things Schilling, right, has said over the years — to newspaper reporters, on the radio, on TV … in his own blog! I swear, someday a YouTube clip is going to show him rubbing ketchup on that, ahem, bloody sock. Okay, we get it, you had a cut on your foot. They’re rich but act poor

For years, Red Sox fans bellyached about their rivals, the Yankees, and how much money the Yankees would spend on players. Well, you know what? You guys are the Yankees, too. You win championships because you spend money. So don’t act like you’re the organization with all the sharp baseball minds who built through the draft and shrewd waiver-wire pickups with a tiny payroll. That’s the Rays, not you guys.

Oh yeah, sure, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, right, is a genius. It takes real brilliance to recognize that Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell are, uh, pretty good and we should write them a check from a limitless bank account. No, genius is trading away a player like Delmon Young for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett.

Jason Varitek’s C

Jason Varitek is the Red Sox captain, and he wears a “C” on his uniform. This isn’t hockey. Why is he the only guy in baseball wearing a C? In fact, what does a baseball captain even do? Wearing a “C” is just arrogant. “Hey, look at us, we have a captain.” “Hey, lookie at me. I’m the leader.” The Yankees have a captain, too, but you don’t see Derek Jeter feeling the need to announce to the world that he has a job that has no duties. If you want to lead, then lead. But you don’t have to tell everyone that you lead.

Coco Crisp and Jonathan Papelbon

Don’t get us started on Coco. He starts all the trouble by spiking Akinori Iwamura then has the nerve to storm the mound when James Shields hits him in the leg? Whatever. Everything calms down, everything is evened up then Papelbon, right, runs his mouth about the whole thing not being over. Unless you plan on grabbing a bat and standing in a batter’s box, you probably shouldn’t say anything. And while we’re at it, does Kevin Youkilis have to wet his pants and throw helmets every time he gets called out on strikes or pops up with a runner on third and one out?

They’re good
Bottom line is they have more rings than any team over the past four years. And two more than the Rays. They have Manny and Big Papi banging homers. They have Josh Beckett and Dice-K blowing away hitters. They have Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell hitting gappers and Jacoby Ellsbury stealing bases. And Jonathan Papelbon throwing peas to lock down games. Their manager might be the best in baseball, and, yes, even their kid GM seems to know what he’s doing. Plus, well, they do play in the coolest stadium in sports.

Don’t you just hate that?

For me “Title Town” is OK, but it sounds like a chain of discount mortgage brokerages (Come on down to Title Town today and we’ll fix you up…). I prefer the title City of Champions (which is the title of a Boston DVD I have in my library).

For me, the great thing about the Championships is the way they were achieved: by playing as a team and going for the common good. The Patriots set the tone in 2001 when they chose to be introduced as a team and not as individual players at the Super-bowl. The Red Sox jokingly referred to themselves as “a bunch of idiots”, but they were a bunch that played together as one, focused on a common goal and they won the World Series twice. The Celts did the same.

The unique thing about the current Boston teams as observed by my fellow UMASS Alum Jack Welch is that the different successes feed off of each other, creating friendly competition and a desire to win. That’s something that you fans from the other areas don’t get. Sure you can add up the number of titles over the years, but they were individual titles and they don’t have the synergy that we are currently seeing in Boston (and it is spreading west UMASS played for 3 National Titles last year).

As a fan of the Boston teams, there’s really only two words to describe it: “Wicked Pissah!”.

Bask in your glory now. Do I think the Celts, Pats and Sox will repeat again in their next seasons ? NO!!

I think the Sox will have trouble getting into the WS and if they do I truly believe this is the Year of the CUBS. At least I hope so for their fans. As I rooted for the Sox in 2004 , I’m rooting for the Cubs if the Mets don’t get in.

The Celts will be challenged in the East by Cleveland and I have to believe that the Spurs and the Lakers will get better.

I certainly can see the Pats being favored, but let’s not forget the Colts and the Giants and Dallas if they do get in the SB.

That’s why we love sports. Can debate it for ever and of course as good researchers can make the numbers sing.

Joe

6 titles in six and a half years…I like the sound of ‘Bean There…Done That!’

How about the city of ‘RedPatCelts’ or simply ‘The Revolutionary Region of Reknown’???

Uh oh, my mind is now racing…. Make that the N.O.D. The Nation of Domination-Situation Win-Win! Final answer!

Talk to you soon Merrill:)

yes you are right the city of Boston and specifically the Red Sox didn’t win alot of trophies for many years. When most people including myself think baseball - I do think of the Yankees first they are the best baseball franchise of all-time - it pains me but I said it. But you must admit when the average person think about basketball they would think about the Celtics first.

One other point to share is the fact that the NY area is made up of 8 sports teams - twice as many as Boston has. so we take away some of their championships to even the discussion.

The bottom line is we both LOVE our teams - which makes being a fan so great and makes the rivalries fantastic.

Thanks for your perspective.

Merrill

One thing I will remind you Merrill is that nothing is as transient as professional sporting success (unless, of course, you have a $182 million dollar payroll). So enjoy it, there were a lot of Boston fans back around 1918 who thought winning championships was easy. And as I understand, they went into a bit of a dry spell.